What Happens on Neo Vega, Stays on Neo Vega
by BL4CK B377Y
Summary: One Slayer from the past. One ship full of miscreants aimin' to misbehave. One planet founded on gambling, and gangs. One fool-proof heist. What could possibly go wrong? response to a Challenge on TTHFanFic
1. Following One's Faith

_**Story Note**__**: **__Though I'm using parts of the movie "Serenity" I will not be connecting this story to the Miranda plot. I have treated the heist from the beginning of the movie as if it were just another plot from an episode of Firefly. There will be no visit to Miranda, no discovery of Miranda, no "Operative" nor River spazzing out from subliminal triggers. Thank you!_

_**DISCLAIMER:**__** I do not lay claims to anything pertaining to the TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel: The Series, Firefly or the movie Serenity. They are all glorious creations of Sir Joss Whedon. I am not making any money from this. It is strictly for entertainment purposes and to satisfy my own muse! Thank you, and Enjoy!**_

**Following One's Faith**

_**"MAL!"**_ A man's voice shouted down from the floor above the vault. Mal huffed and clenched his jaw, turning away from the vault guard whom Mal had been trying to convince to let him shoot in the leg.

"Every heist he's gotta start yellin' my name," Mal muttered between clenched teeth, clearly annoyed.

"Mal!" Jayne's large frame filled the stairwell as he raced down into the vault. "Mal," Jayne continued. "Reavers! The girl's pitchin' a fit. They're here or they're comin' soon!"

Mal sprung into action. "Get on the mule," he shouted at Jayne, who turned and headed back up the stairs. Mal then turned back around to face the Vault guard. He spared a glance to Zoe, who sped up her efforts in stuffing the bags full of their spoils. "Does that door lock from the inside?" At the Guard's nod, Mal continued, the Captain and former Sergeant surging inside of him as he asserted his orders, "Everyone upstairs, you get them down here and you seal it! As long as you got air, you don't open up, understand?"

The guard only looked at Mal in confusion. Mel clenched his teeth, literally getting in the smaller man's face, "_Get them-inside-the __**Vault**_!" He spat when he said it. This whole situation angered him to no extent. Why can't a heist ever go to plan?

Moments later all three comrades came rushing out the front door with cash filled sacks and Raven-haired psychic in tow. Jayne was near frantic in his surveillance of the area, aiming his rifle every which way he could, "Ya see 'em? Anybody see 'em?"

"Zoe, start 'er up," Mal ordered as they boarded the mule, securing the duffel bags at their feet. The engine of the mule purred to life, but was overwhelmed by the roar of a motor-speeder which was rounding the corner. The rider wore a long black duster that trailed in the wind behind her. Yes "her." Even from a distance, the bulky coat, heavy combat boots, large riding goggles and helmet failed to mask such obvious feminine wiles.

The bike stopped next to the mule, it's idled engine rumbling like a purring panther. "You heard it too then!" It was a statement more than a question. She knew why they looked so frantic. They all knew. "Quick, gimme a bag," the brunette continued. "It'll lighten your load. c'mon!"

Without hesitation, Mal hauled a full duffel her way and she secured the strap over her head and shoulder so it hung at her back. After a nod from the captain, she revved the engine and sped off. The mule followed suit, though because of its bulkier size it had more difficulty maneuvering through the small market streets; as was evident when they plowed through a vegetable cart.

Barely had Zoe begun accelerating when a man came rushing from the bar, shouting. "Wait! Take me with you," he pleaded, trying to grab for the mule.

"Get back inside," Mal ordered the man.

"Please, I can't stay here!" The desperate man latched himself onto the side of the mule like a leach.

"It's too many!" He glared at the man as the mule slowed with the added weight. "_Move ahead_," Mal whispered to Zoe, who eyed him and the leach with concern on her face.

The Biker had taken several glances back at them, catching most of the scene as it played out. Fucking prairie-dogs. If he had just stayed inside, he'd be sittin' pretty with his life secure for still some time to come. The mule could barely run with four. The weight of the payload slowed them down some, but not enough to prevent a speedy getaway. Add another passenger, however, and no way would they be outrunning anything, let alone a Reaver raiding ship. The thought of swinging back to pick up the bastard never even entered the Biker's mind. The answer was an immediate "Hell no." Her bike barely fit her ass.

When Mal pushed the man off, the Cyclist felt a brief pang of sorrow for the poor prairie sod, but it was very, very brief. She couldn't bring herself to care for stupid people who had no sense of self preservation. Like she said before, if he had just stayed inside with the others, he wouldn't be in this mess. It's his own damn fault.

A group of Reavers were on the bastard in moments. Then, just as quickly to respond, Mal had stood, gun in hand, and put a bullet right through the man's heart. The Biker could only think to herself, Bully for him! That was undoubtedly a hard choice to make, but also the noblest under the circumstances. The guilt of such an act could eat away at some people. Mal, however, wasn't "Some People." He never questioned himself, and he never backed down from the hard decisions. That was part of what made him such a great Captain, and why she found it so easy to trust and respect him. Mal had a very, very low tolerance for bull shit.

The Biker had known someone else like that, once upon a time. A General of her world. A woman who had made the hard decisions no one else could live with. Sacrificed everything, even her life on more than one occasion, to protect what was hers. A woman the Biker had always looked up to, even during their brief stint as mortal enemies. There was a whip of brown locks as the Biker shook her head free of such thoughts. She refocused on the road ahead of her, well dirt actually. Now was not the time for reminiscing on a past life.

The speeder ate up the ground underneath her, putting quite a great distance between her and the mule. Serenity was only a few more miles out. Feeling the tinglies rage at the back of her neck, however, the biker whipped her head around, looking over her shoulder just as a large black shape rounded the mountain the mule had just passed.

_**"Fuck!"**_

_**(Cue Opening Sequence!**_

_**"Take my love. Take my land. Take me where I cannot stand. I don't care, I'm still free. You can't take the sky from me!"**_

_**Lol jay kay!**_

_**Well there it is, ya'll! It's really just a teaser, not a chapter! An introduction! More to come soon! That just was the best place to end it! If you were watching this on TV, it'd now go tothe opening credits, leaving ya hanging!**_

_**Btw, I really love this challenge! Thanks so much to fluffymuskateer for posting it! Stay tuned!**_

_**Cheers! **_**=^.^= **_**)**_


	2. The Gift of Faith

**DISCLAIMER: I do not lay claims to anything pertaining to the TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel: The Series, Firefly or the movie Serenity. They are all glorious creations of Sir Joss Whedon. I am not making any money from this. It is strictly for entertainment purposes and to satisfy my own muse! Thank you, and Enjoy!**

**|| The Gift of Faith ||**

"_Fuck!"_

The old swear over the comm had Zoe blanching in her seat, mostly due to the volume in which it had been shouted into her ear. Then the female voice continued, "Zo? Ya better get that fine ass o' yours in gear, chicky! You got a whole mess load of baddy lookin' to ram your back door!"

Even after five months with the brunette, most of the go-se that came out of her mouth _still_ didn't make a lick of sense. Zoe understood the gist of her warning, however, and turned her head to look behind her.

_"Ni ta ma de. Tianxia suoyoude ren. Dou gaisi."_ Zoe's muttered cursings had everyone on the mule turning to look behind them. Immediately they agreed with her statement.

The Brunette's voice came over the comm again, "Steady on, Xena! I'll be on Serenity in a jiff, and I've got a big surprise with those Reavers names on it!"

Jayne had been firing on the Reaver ship the instant he'd seen it in his view. " 'Stead o' fixin' tea an' dumplings fer the psychoes, she could be gettin' her sweet behind back here ter give us a hand!"

Mal dodged a spike that just went flying past his head, "Whatever she's aimin' ta fix, Jayne, I guarantee it ain't no kettle o' tea!" The two comrades continued firing upon the fast approaching ship.

"Wash? Baby can you hear me?" Zoe's voice over the comm was almost frantic as she hailed her husband.

"Just heard Faith roll in, so we're minutes from air," Wash responded unaware of the danger. "You got someone behind you?"

"Reavers!" Zoe didn't hear her husband's Chinese swearing but if she had, no doubts she would have agreed with him. "We're not gonna make it to you in time," she finished.

"Keep moving, honey," his voice reassured her over the comm. "We're coming to you!"

_...Meanwhile on Serenity..._

In a room in the passenger dorms, Faith was frantic. Clothes and other items were being tossed vicariously about the small room, some even made it out the door. In the midst of the may hem, Faith searched about. The old style helmet was gone, but the goggles were still resting atop her forehead. "Where the fuck would a hundred pound steel box go?" She'd just finished checking the cargo hold, and the small storage closet down the hall. Her room was her last resort. Where the fuck had she moved it?

Faith's eyes went wide as an idea suddenly struck her followed by a growl of sorts that reverberated in her throat. Flying from her room, Faith ran with angry footsteps to the hall with the Crew's quarters. Wash was speaking to Zoe on his comm in the cock pit up the stairs. Quickly, Faith stood on the ladder to Jayne's bunk then jumped down. Immediately she stomped to his bed flipping the bunk over, mattress, frame and all. Underneath she saw the item in question and another growl escaped her mouth.

"Fucking Merc's _begging_ for an ass whooping!" Faith continued cursing the mercenary's name as she grabbed the box from it's hiding place. Any other person, including Jayne, would have had a hard time lifting the thing due to its size and weight. Faith, however, former vampire slayer, had no problem at all. How the hell had he managed to get the damn thing under his bunk is what _she'd_ like to know.

Hurriedly, Faith made her way back down to the cargo hold, desperate for time now because it had taken her os long to find it. Once near the airlock door, she set the case down and lifted it open. Inside, nestled in molded velvet, rested several parts of what was obviously some type of rifle. A broad grin spread across Faith's face. Now firearms weren't usually a Slayer's weapon of choice, but she had to say this had to be one of her favorite pieces.

As she began assembling the weapon, Faith pushed the button on the control panel by the door, opening a comm to Wash, "Hey Red!"

"Yeah, Brown?" Wash responded, making Faith smirk.

"Did I hear you say we were gonna do a barn swallow?"

"Good hearing!"

"What does that entail exactly?"

Wash explained it to Faith as best he could. She understood the gist of it, and her respect for the pilot increased even more. Based on how he explained the maneuver, it seemed pretty dang impossible. Faith knew the man was a damn good pilot already, but damn. If he could pull it off, she'd definitely buy him a beer next stop!

"How far are we?"

"Couple tics, maybe. Why?"

"Nothing for you to worry, Red. You just focus on saving your Warrior Princess and the rest o' the gang! I'll provide the air support!" She grinned again, screwing the final piece -the muzzle- to the rifle in place.

"Alright." A brief pause, then, "Wait, what?" he sounded incredulous.

Faith grinned, imagining the look on the pilot's face. "You just watch where you're flying, Pilot man. Leave the rest up to Faith!"

Faith loaded a full mag into the rifle cartridge, then slid several HE rounds into the 'nade launcher. Buffy had loathed guns back in the day, with good reason. Guns had killed one of her friends, and nearly herself. Blades or stakes were normally a Slayer's W.O.C. Here in the black, however, Faith had slim to no use for them. Granted she still had more blades than one would think, but guns were way cooler. Faith had long been an NRA supporter. Firearms were B.A. and no one could ever convince her otherwise.

Now, Faith's pride and joy was gleaming in it's full dangerous glory, the butt pressed tight to her shoulder testing the grip and aim. It was a gift from a very old, and she means _very_ old friend. A modified M4 rifle equip with barrel shield and 40mm M203 grenade launcher. She gave the grenade barrel a small kiss before latching herself to the harness she'd seen Jayne wear on so many excursions into dangling out the bottom of the ship.

She approached the hangar door, rifle in arm, and hit the button to lower the ramp. Once low enough, she stepped out onto it, a few feet from the edge. Faith tucked the butt tight against her shoulder and took aim. In the far distance she could see the reaver ship, though the mule was just a tiny dot. A normal M203 launcher couldn't nearly make that distance. Did she mention that it was a _modified_ M4 with M203 grenade launcher?

_...Back on the ground..._

Even with a spike through his leg, Jayne never let up his gunfire. Mal right at his side, spending magazine after magazine on the encroaching vessel. They'd managed to lose it a short while back by running it into some rocks but it had been back on them shortly after, closing the distance once again. If something didn't happen soon, they'd be Reaver food for sure.

"Gee! It'd sure be nice if we had some _Grenades_, don'tcha think?" Jayne's smart ass question had Mal once again rolling his eyes at the mercenary.

Not even a beat after Jayne's words, did a large explosion erupt just behind and to the right of the reaver ship, knocking it off it's course some. Mal and Jayne shared a look, blinking rapidly at each other. "Jayne?" Mal inquired.

"Don' look at me, Mal! I left 'em in mah bunk, just as ya said!"

Another explosion made Mal and Jayne cover their faces with their arms. That one had been closer to the ship, but still no direct hit.

"What in fuzzy hell..." Mal looked to the skies. Sure enough, in the distance he could make out the shape of Serenity. But no way was she close enough for that. Was she?

"Talkin' ain't doin'!" Mal heard Zoe shout to Wash over her comm. When she then shouted in Chinese for them all to sit down and hold onto something, Mal hadn't quite been prepared for the hard-banked 180 she did after.

They were playing Chicken with the other ship now, heading right towards it. None of them could have been prepared for what happened next. The back end of the Reaver ship erupted in a huge explosion, followed seconds later by another to it's starboard side, blowing it completely off course. Everything next went much too fast to really understand how it happened.

Serenity was suddenly upon them, it's hangar bay door down, swallowing the mule right up. Jayne went sprawling from the mule as sparks flew from where it grinded against the steel floor. Wash proved his skill as Serenity banked hard, barely missing the exploding Reaver ship. And by barely, meaning a chunk of the Reaver ship caught on the hangar door and went sliding across the Cargo bay floor. Jayne barely managed to back up before the offending piece of ship managed to turn him into what many made fun of his name for.

Simon went running up to the mule, specifically to his sister who was still buckled securely in her seat. "River?"

River raised her head, flight goggles giving her an almost comical appearance. She had a dreamy look on her face when she spoke, "I swallowed a bug."

Kaylee had come down the stairs moments after the commotion. Her main concern seemed to be for the doctor. "Are you okay?" she asked Simon.

"Is he okay?" Mal sounded almost hurt.

A bloodied, horrifyingly ugly man suddenly appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, screeching like a wounded banshee on crack. Before a one of them could train their guns on him, however, he went down just as he came. Everyone in the hangar glanced towards the now closed bay door where Faith stood, grinning ear to ear. The rifle pressed to her shoulder was smoking from the barrel tip.

"You're welcome," Faith said before blowing the smoke from the barrel of her rifle. It was cliche, she knew, but she loved doing it.

"We all here? What's going on?" Wash's voice echoed over the ship's intercom. "Hello?"

Zoe made her way to the comm station by Faith. Turning it on, she replied, "No casualties," she responded. "Anybody following?"

"Nice flying, baby!" You could positively _feel_ the pride in Wash's voice when he answered. "That's a negative. Clean getaway."

Mal sprung into action then. "Set course for Beaumonde." Faith saw Simon's dagger sharp glare aimed at Mal, and knew no good would come of it. As Simon made his way towards Mal, Faith made her way towards Simon.

Unaware of the doctor's encroaching ire, Mal continued relaying orders, "First thing, I want this body taken-" Mal flinched back in reaction to Simon's fist being so close to his face. The reason Mal wasn't sprawled on the floor right now, would be due to one certain Brunnette's hand enclosed around the doctor's fist.

"Come on, Doc! Is that really necessary?" The rifle was slung on a strap over her shoulder, but she still looked threatening as hell.

Simon took his fist back, still aiming those daggers at Mal. Faith stood her ground, however, not intimidated in the least by the younger man.

"Never again, you understand me," Simon said with an air of finality.

Mal looked beyond confused. "What in the _tyen shiao duh_ are you on about? An' why exactly, did Ms. Lehane have to block a punch aimed at my face?"

Simon crossed his arms, pouting like a spoiled child. "One job, you said. One simple job, she'll be fine!"

That's what this was about? Mal gritted his teeth before responding, "She _is_ fine! Apart from being _still crazy_, she's a picture o' health!"

Zoe stepped up to defend the Captain's choice, "If it weren't for River we'd'a been left there!" Simon turned to Zoe, disbelief coloring his features. Zoe continued, "She felt 'em comin'. If she hadn't been there..." Zoe's sentence trailed off. She didn't need to explain what could have happened. They all had imaginations to fill in the horrors.

Simon's resolve faltered some. He wanted to protect River, but if because she was there, she'd managed to in a way save their lives? Well then Simon was grateful. He didn't want any of them to die, especially not by reavers. No one deserved that. Simon sighed and turned back to Mal, his resolve still strong, but his anger lessened some, "Well, you're not taking her again."

"Seems I recall a talk about you giving orders on my boat," Mal responded. "I ever find work where cute and crazy might help, you can be damn sure I'll be takin' her along." Simon made to speak his mind but Mal held up his hand, cutting him off, "_Bi zuei_!" That assertive, "I'm-the-Captain-so-shut-up-and-do-what-I-tell-you" tone was back in Mal's voice. "River's a part o' my crew, same as you! Same as Zoe... Jayne... Kaylee... And if'n we ever need her perticular skills on a job again, I assure you... She'll be _more'n_ well looked after!"

Mal and the doctor stared at each other for a long time, well, glared was more like it. Then, as if comin' to some mental agreement, Simon nodded his head.

"Shiny!" Mal spoke first, breaking the tense silence. "We'll be in Beaumonde a few hours' time. Meanwhile, I need ya to do your job and patch up my crew." Mal placed his hand on Simon's shoulder. "Dong ma?" Simon nodded before making his way over to Jayne, the worst injured of the bunch, helping him to stand.

Faith had been watching the whole scene with growing frustration, and not just a little anger on River's behalf. Pissing contest aside, they were treating River like she was five, _and_ as if she weren't even in the same room.

"Hey!" Faith raised her hand as if she were back in school, only dropping it when she got their attention. "Umm, I have a suggestion... Why don't you 'men-folk' stop peeing all over each other for a second and, oh I dunno, _ask River_ how _she_ feels about this whole thing?"

"Hey, there was no pee-" Faith cut Mal off.

"Moony may be slightly jumled in the cabesa, but I'm pretty sure she's damn capable of speaking for herself!" It drove Faith nuts how often they disregarded River, just because the confused teen was a little muddled up and tended to speak in riddles. Hopefully, what Faith picked up in town might help with that.

Everyone turned to River then, surprised at what they saw. River was squatting on a small crate, right next to the corpse of the reaver Faith had just killed. She was staring intently at it, as if expecting it to get up and walk away. "He didn't lie down," River whispered. "They never lie down..."

"River?" Faith gently set her rifle down on its case as she approached the girl whom she'd grown rather fond of since stepping foot on this ship. Faith crouched next to her, resting her arms on the tops of her own thighs. "Moony what's wrong?"

Normally, River was offended when she heard the others call her moon brain or the like, knowing they usually meant it in an insulting or negative way. Faith, however, called her Moony out of endearment. It didn't bother River when Faith called her that.

River blinked and lifted her head, looking at Faith as if seeing her for the very first time. "You didn't lie down, either. They forced the blackness in your head but you held onto the light. Fought back the hands tearing you apart."

It wasn't the first time River had gone all moon brain on her, speaking ominously about stuff from Faith's past, or about the future. This _was_, however, the very first time the psychic's words caused a shiver to race up Faith's spine at the memories they brought to the surface.

When River looked as if she were about to cry, Faith brushed her hand along her cheek and wrapped her in a hug. "Sshh," she gently hushed River, rubbing her hair. "It's alright, baby girl. The blackness is long gone, it's just me now! Everything's gonna be alright!"

Simon looked torn between helping Jayne up the stairs, and going to his sister. Faith looked up at him, saying, "It's alright, doctor-man." Faith lifted River into her arms. "I'll take her to her room. You should see to Jayne."

At Simon's nod, Faith followed everyone up the stairs. She parted from the main group when she headed for the passenger dorms. She stepped into River's room and set the girl down on the bed. She was never good with this touchy-feely, mushy, emotional crap. That had always been B's department. So when River was looking at her for comfort, Faith felt slightly more than out-of-place.

Faith cleared her throat before speaking, "Look, kid-"

"Not a kid." River answered defensively, cutting Faith off.

Faith sighed, grinning, "I know that. So do the rest of them... To some extent." River just looked up at her with a face that simply said 'Are you kidding?' Faith chuckled, "Alright... Maybe they don't. You can't really blame them though. You're the baby sister of the bunch. I know the Professor can be uber protective, but he always will be. You're his sister. His very special kid sister."

River brought her legs up, hugging them to her chest, resting her chin between her joined knees. "Just a girl."

A smirk graced Faith's lips and she put her hand on River's shoulder. "I know. That's what I keep trying to tell _them_." By them Faith did not just mean the crew when she indicated a thumb towards the ceiling. She then tapped her pointer finger on the side of River's head. "No matter how terrible things get up here, sweet cheeks, don't forget that. You're just a girl. First, and foremost."

"One girl in all the worlds." Rivers words were whispered so softly, that the older brunette almost missed them.

Faith's eyes widened at the realization, "That ain't supposed to be your burden, little girl... Even so... Long as I'm around, you won't ever have to face it alone. Not if I can help it."

"You were alone. That's why you-"

Faith held up her hand to cut river off, "Moony, don't! That was a long time ago. Nothing like that is gonna happen to you. You're not gonna go down that same road. You have an entire slew of people who love and care about you. To keep you here in this place. To keep you whole."

"So do you..." River supplied.

Faith blanched, blinking rapidly at River. She had no clue what to say to that. True Faith had felt closer to the crew of Serenity than she had ever felt to anyone, excluding Angel, Buffy and Spike. She wouldn't call any of these people part of a scooby gang, mainly because that was B's and them's thing. Faith could never be a "scooby." However, she would call these people friends. Might even go so far as to considering them family, even. Well how 'bout that?

Faith smiled akwardly before giving River a tentative hug. As Faith stood to leave she looked down at the wide-eyed girl, "Get some rest if ya can." Faith made to leave but when she reached River's door she stopped. "I almost forgot." She pulled something from her pocket as she approached River's bed.

Faith took River's hand and placed a red velvet box in her open palm. With a broad grin she met River's surprised eyes and said, "Happy Birthday!" Faith ruffled River's hair, then stood to lean against the wall next to River's bed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Go ahead! Open it," Faith prompted.

River gazed down at the velvet box. Normally, she could look at a box, crate, package, whatever and immediately know what was inside. As she gazed down at the blood red velvet, however, that was all she could see. The velvet. That thought alone made her smile.

"Jesus, Moony. It ain't gonna blow up, just open it already!" Faith demanded.

Slowly, River lifted the lid of the box and a full grin spread across her face. Inside the box, resting on a bed of black satin, was a pendant in the shape of a half moon, curved around an inset onyx stone. Just looking at it made River feel all fuzzy inside. Immediately, River pulled the medallion from its box where Faith then helped clasp it around River's neck. It hung low, right between the cleft of her small breasts.

River gasped silently in surprise when she noticed the black of the stone had started changing color where it came into contact with her skin. River lifted the pendant between her fingers and gazed into the swirling marble for a long time.

"It's called a Moon-blood stone," Faith broke the silence. "Kinda like a mood stone. Very rare and impossible to find these days... But," a brief sigh, "I managed to track one down."

Faith breathed on her nails and motioned as if shining them on her coat. River didn't say anything. "Rumor says, it has magical properties." Faith wiggled her fingers at River and made an eerie, "Oooohh!" sound. River smiled but remained speechless, making Faith a little uneasy. "They say, once a Moon-blood claims an owner, it'll never leave her... Or him." Faith grinned as River remained transfixed on the stone. Yeah, definitely a great idea. Next wave, Faith would have to send out a really big thank you to her "contact."

After several long moments, Faith rolled her eyes at River who was still entranced by the pretty. "Who's 'they'?" River suddenly inquired, making Faith chuckle.

Faith pushed off the wall and plopped down next to River on the bed, then leaned back on her hands. "Ya know... Them... They... The people who say most of the shit that people say 'They' say... I dunno!" Both girl's giggled.

"So," Faith began. "Moon-blood... Meet Moon _Brain_," Faith joked, giving River a little push, which actually made the younder girl laugh before she pushed back. Faith then pushed River again, and so on and so forth until, very unexpectedly, River wrapped Faith up in a tight hug. Momentarily stunned, it took Faith several moments to recover and return the embrace.

"Thank you," River whispered, speaking so softly that if not for her slayer hearing, Faith would have missed it.

Faith smiled into River's hair. "Just happy you like it, kiddo," Faith whispered back.

"Everything alright in here?" Simon was at the door.

The embracing girls broke apart. The genuine smile on River's face had Simon mirroring the gesture. It was Faith who responded to his question, though. "Five by five, Professor. Just having a girly moment is all!"

Simon grinned stepping into the room to check on his sister. "River? How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," River responded off hand. Faith made her way out the door, leaving the two siblings alone. River gazed at the medallion around her neck, almost surprised by her own statement. She was alright? Since when did she feel alright? River looked up at her brother, gazing at him intently through slitted eyes. She waited for the tell tale feeling of his emotions to overwhelm her, but it never happened. River's head whipped to the doorway Faith had just exited, then back at the gift around her neck. Her grin widened. "I'm alright!"

_**(Another chappie down folks! If this get's confusing to anyone I apologize! I'm totally winging it here! The direction my Muse tells me to go, I can only obediently follow!  
I got most of the Chinese, and some dialogue from and .  
Hope you liked it! I know I did! More to come! Thanks for reading!  
Cheers**_** =^.^= _)_**

_(p.s. Just some random bit of information just in case you were wondering where the hell Joss had gotten the idea from. *ahem*_

_"The Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) is the most widespread species of swallow in the world.[2] A distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts, a long, deeply forked tail and curved, pointed wings, it is found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.[2] In Anglophone Europe it is just called the Swallow; in Northern Europe it is the only common species called a "swallow" rather than a "martin".[3]_

_There are six subspecies of Barn Swallow, which breed across the Northern Hemisphere. Four are strongly migratory, and their wintering grounds cover much of the Southern Hemisphere as far south as central Argentina, the Cape Province of South Africa, and northern Australia.[2] Its huge range means that the Barn Swallow is not endangered, although there may be local population declines due to specific threats, such as the construction of an international airport near Durban.[4]_

_The Barn Swallow is a bird of open country which normally uses man-made structures to breed and consequently has spread with human expansion. ****It builds a cup nest from mud pellets**** in barns or similar structures and feeds on ****insects caught during flight.****[5] This species lives in close association with humans, and its insect-eating habits mean that it is tolerated by man; this acceptance was reinforced in the past by superstitions regarding the bird and its nest. There are frequent cultural references to the Barn Swallow in literary and religious works due to both its living in close proximity to humans and its conspicuous annual migration.[6] The Barn Swallow is the national bird of Estonia."_

_And now you know! ^.^ [Barn swallow info from ] )_


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